For Niles’ Paige Linback, an art fair in front of the David C. Briegel Building at Southwestern Michigan College’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Sept. 20 offers “the best of both worlds.”

“This will show SMC I do other art things. I don’t just do photography,” the 2010 Edwardsburg High School graduate said. “Anyone from Edwardsburg will learn I do photography and not just paintings.”

Linback and another participant, May graduate Rebecca Scott, have Copic markers in common.

The refillable Japanese pens come in 358 colors.

Scott, originally from Eau Claire and living in Elkhart, ultimately wants to create video game and book concept designs.

“Graphic novels or manga (Japanese comics) are what I would love to work on,” Scott said.

During two years at SMC “I had the wonderful opportunity to work on a graphic novel project with Dean of Arts and Sciences Scott Topping. My dream right now is to attend Kendall College of Art and Design.”

Ceramics instructor Sherrie Styx, art sale organizer, expects 15 to 25 exhibitors representing ceramics, drawing, watercolor painting, acrylic painting, jewelry, knitting, photography and writing.

“Students demonstrate the wheel from 10:30 to 3:30,” Styx said. “These students will show the process of throwing and talk about what they like to create.”

Linback felt torn between her lifelong love or settling for something more realistic.

“Art has been my passion for as long as I can remember,” said Linback, who finished her fine arts associate degree in 2013.

She was treasurer of SMC’s Sigma Psi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

“I was sometimes discouraged in high school to pursue art, so I decided to be a translator. In high school, I took six foreign language and four art classes. At SMC I studied German and Spanish.”

Then she discovered Ferris State University’s technical and professional communications program.

“I was told I could do graphic design,” said Linback, who expects her bachelor’s degree next spring. “I decided to pursue that instead of translating. I realized how much I missed art. I participated in the sophomore art show and received one of SMC’s art talent scholarships. That was my first big award.”

“I got really involved on campus,” she said. “I started taking pictures (for The Southwester) at events. My Zombie Run photos from 2012 are my favorite.”

The college acquired her image of an Edwardsburg quilt shop that welcomes visitors to SMC’s Art Gallery in the Dale A. Lyons Building.

Last year, she created Phi Theta Kappa advertisements and logos for Sigma Psi and

STEM Club.

She won second place for an oil painting in Ferris State’s Prism contest that will be featured in a fall publication.

As a summer graphic design intern at Granger Community Church, “I attended the Worldwide Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Church in the Chicago area broadcast to 92 countries.”

She started photographing wildlife — “still my specialty” — as a hobby.

She competed in open class and 4-H at the Cass County Fair, winning several awards for oil painting, photography and drawing.

“Painting is my passion. I don’t have time to draw or paint, so I do photography as my quick creative outlet,” Linback said.

Pop culture and music are influences, as are Japanese comics, National Geographic, late PBS television host Bob Ross

and Disney.

“I do simple line art because I can’t draw with a pencil,” she said. “I color and shade well, so lots of people think I do a really detailed drawing before painting the piece. My creative process is coloring, shading and blending layers of mixed media such as watercolor, oils, color pencils and Copic markers. Photography, I can’t explain. It’s just getting the perfect shot capturing raw emotion. I try to capture what my eyes see — not what I think is the best shot.”

All Scott needs is her sketchbook and a pencil.

“I can sketch anywhere, inside or outside, in private or public. Depending on my mood, I can work in a place with a lot of noise, but I usually prefer quieter areas. I always listen to music on my iPod when I create art. I focus better.”

“When I started at SMC,” Scott said, “I already knew what I wanted to get into. Illustration and art have been my deepest passions for as long as I can remember. Instructors were very helpful guiding me as a freshman. I began studio classes second semester and absolutely adored them. My time at SMC was definitely a fantastic experience.”

Scott’s pieces are mostly illustration-based fantasy characters or simple realistic pieces done with mixed media, from paintings to Copic marker drawings.

“Everything I do starts as a sketch or a basic abstract, then transforms into something with detail and color. A basic sketch takes 10 to 20 minutes. Depending on the medium I use after that, my average time on a piece can be two to five hours. My longest time has been three days. Copic markers require great practice and technique development. They sort of work like watercolors.”